How
Many of us here have fallen prey to one or another system glitch in our Local Guide accounts. Personally I have experienced a multiple upload glitch (upload once, photo actually uploads 2 times), multiple photo appearance with ghosts (2-6 copies of each image, but only 1 is real), the “but wait there’s more” (upload a few photos to a place but it picks many more and adds them, and the “you’ve never been anywhere” glitch - where I am prompted to re-review places I have been, and clicking on the prompt to review erases my old review beyond recovery.
In the months of March through May, I was hit with a combo of these glitches, one after another. I spent the first month cleaning my account during late nights on the phone with @lakeoftea , my constant companion for quality control. The following months I focused on uploading streetview photos, since my account there was fully operable. I tried to review places, but became discouraged as I met various roadblocks, and redirected my efforts. This past month I dove into Connect.
The end result of all this pain is the list below, which I hope can help some of my fellow guides when they are feeling afraid or discouraged by one glitch or another.
How to Survive and Account Glitch:
- Glitches pass. Most issues pass between a couple of days and a couple of weeks. Find a part of your account that is functioning normally and use the glitch as an excuse to build your skills in new areas.
- If you are really, truly, very nervous or repercussions, take a few screenshots. If anything goes wrong, the Googlers have us covered, but documentation helps them understand what went wrong so they can fix the situation for yourself and others. Put the screenshots in your Google Drive and chill.
- Do not panic and start deleting or trying to edit glitches away. This almost always makes the situation worse.
- Your Streetview Account might be isolated from the issues This could be a chance to become a Certified Pro!
- Spend more time on Connect! This is the perfect opportunity to invest the time you usually spend on photos and reviews in the community! The time you spend here reaps rewards in relationships and knowledge! You’ll be glad you did it!
- Use your timeline to see where you have been recently so you know where to review. You will likely know the places you can add photos to or review, even if the system has you temporarily running blind. Your timeline can be your friend.
- Yes/no questions are incredibly important pieces of the Maps puzzle, and some can only be found with a bit of work! Click on listings around you to discover yes/no questions which have yet to be answered!
- Checking the facts and confirming edits are great ways to invest your time. (I have never seen these areas affected by a glitch yet - they are always safe bets if you need to get your contribution fix!)
- Remember that your “streak” and your “Top Local Guide” status are products of the points generated by your contributions. They are fun rewards, but they reflect number values. There are many ways to contribute to maps that will not make you a “Top Local Guide” in your area but will make a very significant impact. Don’t let yourself get caught up in the numbers. Your real value isn’t measured in points.
Has your account ever glitched? How did you handle it? What did you do to keep yourself active and contributing?